Redemption
by erinxelizabeth
Summary: Sawyer Brooke Scott, four years old. Peyton and Lucas die in a car accident, Brooke is left to take care of Sawyer with the help of a few people, but taking care of a grieving four year old isn't as easy as it seems.
1. Tragedy Hits

Redemption

ehiggxo

"My name is Sawyer Brooke Scott, I'm four years old."

July 25, 2012:

"Hello?" I answered the phone, seeing an unknown number on the screen.

"Brooke Davis?" The other voice answered.

"This is she. Who's calling?" A bad feeling clumped at the bottom of my stomach. I felt something was wrong.

"This is Debra, a nurse from Tree Hill Memorial."

"Is everything okay?" I asked, realizing my feeling was right.

"We need you to come down to the hospital. Please, its concerning a Mrs. Peyton Scott and a Mr. Lucas Scott."

"Oh my God, okay. I'll be right down." I ended the call and grabbed my purse, in my pj shorts and a tank top I ran out of my house and made my way to the ER of Tree Hill Memorial. As I entered my destination I looked around and spotted a nurse.

"I'm Brooke Davis, I was told to come in. Debra called me."

"I'm Debra, The Scott's were involved in a car crash. It was pretty bad. Their daughter- umm.." She shuffled through some papers.

"-Sawyer Scott." I finished.

"Yes, Sawyer, came out with only a few minor cuts and scrapes, she's sitting over their in the kids room." Debra pointed over to a room to our left. "As for Peyton and Lucas, they may not make it."

"Will you let me know when and if things change?" I asked, my eyes beginning to water. I had to stay strong for Sawyer, that little girl was my world.

"Absolutely." She nodded as she walked away, towards the nurses station. I got up the courage to head over to the kids room, where Sawyer sat with her purple monkey and watched 'The Incredibles'.

"Hey Cutie." I smiled. Opening my arms welcoming her into a hug.

"Hi Aunt Brooke." she sheepishly smiled back. There were a few bandages on her body, nothing major.

"You okay?" I asked as I picked her up into my arms and sat down on one of the chairs, placing her in my lap.

"Yeah, I'm hungry though." She frowned as her stomach rumbled.

"Well let's wait here a few minutes and then we can go get you some food, okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Where are Mommy and Daddy?" She asked me, tilting her head sideways, making her blonde pigtails bounce.

"Sawyer. They got hurt in the car accident. The doctor's are trying to make them better." I answered with the best answer I could come up with.

"Are they gunna be okay?" She asked me, her deep green eyes, the ones that matched Peyton's perfectly, staring up at me.

"Yes Baby Doll. They're going to be fine."

"You promise?"

"I promise." I swallowed a lump in my throat to keep me from crying. I stood up and placed Sawyer on the ground, holding her tiny hand in my own. "You wanna go get dinner?"

"Duh." She giggled. That was the last time she giggled for a while.

We came back from getting her food and Debra stood by the door of the waiting room. I felt another one of my 'oh shit' feelings. I told Sawyer to go watch the end of the movie and eat her chicken. I looked up at Debra, her eyes full of sorrow.

"What happened?" I asked her, breaking down in tears.

"We lost Peyton." She told me simply. "We did all we could but she wasn't strong enough."

"That's a lie, Peyton Elizabeth Scott is the strongest woman I know. She had to make it through. Please, please God no." I crumbled to the floor, trying not the draw attention but I just found out my best friend was dead.

Debra stooped down and tried to comfort me, I shoved her off. "Call Nathan and Haley Scott please." I told her.

"Right away." She answered as she lightly jogged to the phone. My heart was breaking I couldn't believe she was gone. Lucas had to pull through, I couldn't lose him to.

"Ms. Davis, they're on their way." She told me. She sat against the wall next to me and grabbed my hand, I didn't pull away, I just sat still.

"How?" I asked simply.

"Internal bleeding, her splein ruptured and we couldn't control it until it was too late." She wiped a tear away from her eye.

"How's Lucas?"

"He's not showing any change, still unconscience and still on the pump."

"What are his chances?"

"It all depends on him." Her beeper went off, she got up and looked at me, "I'll be right back." I nodded and looked across the hall at Sawyer, still eating her chicken and in front of the tv. How was I supposed to tell her?

Haley and Nathan arrived with Jamie, all in pajamas. Haley rushed over to me and told Nathan and jamie to go sit with Sawyer. Haley sat next to me and just held me. I needed Peyton, as much as I loved Haley, she wasn't my Peyton. No, my Peyton was dead. Taken from me without a goodbye.

"Brooke, I need to you breathe." Haley told me as she squeezed my hand. I heard a scream from the other room. I looked up and saw Sawyer trying to get over to me, but Nathan holding her.

"Nathan! " I screamed, "Let her here." I nodded. I stayed where I was and allowed Sawyer to run out to me.

"Aunt Brooke, why are you crying?" she asked me, tears starting to form in her own eyes. "What happened?"

"Sawyer come here." She sat on my lap. "You know when Mommy and Daddy told you the story of Grandpa Keith? And how he went to heaven?"

"Because he died?" she asked.

"Yes Honey, when people die they go to heaven. Well Mommy went to go live with God in Heaven." I looked at her and held her tight as she started to cry harder.

"But she's my mommy!! God can't have her! I want her back now!" She screamed. I nodded, knowing exactly how she felt.

"I know sweetie, but when God thinks it's time for someone to live with him, he takes them, and he took away all your mommy's boo-boos and all the hurt from the car accident."

"Why couldn't he make her all better here!? In Tree Hill?" She asked me, rubbing her eyes.

"I don't know Sawyer." I shook my head. "I don't know."


	2. Coping With the Pain

Redemption

Chapter Two

"My name is Sawyer Brooke Scott, I look just like my mommy."

I held Sawyer close to me. I don't think she grasped the concept of mommy not being around. She asked to go see Lucas. I told her we would see him tomorrow, it was getting late and Lucas was still in a coma.

"Grab your monkey." I told her as we left the waiting room.

"I got her." She answered quietly, another tear rolling down her cheek as we walked to my car. I opened the back seat door and she hesitantly got in.

"Aunt Brooke?" She asked/

"Yes sweetie." I answered as I got in the drivers seat.

"Will you drive slow? I don't want god to have you too."

"Of course." I answered, my heart breaking a little more as we drove the rest of the wawy home. I pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. I looked through the rear view mirror and grinned as Sawyer slept like a baby.

Eventually I got her inside and changed into one of my tee shirts to sleep in. It happened to be a 'Friends with Benefit' concert tee. She laid down in my bed and quickly fell asleep. I knew I wasn't going to sleep. I sat next to her and stroked her hair.

I did eventually sleep because the next morning I was awoken by a soft crying coming from the next room. I got up, dragging the blanket with me. I entered my office with a worried feeling. I saw Sawyer standing in the middle of the room, staring up at a picture on the wall. I looked at the picture, the picture was one Peyton had sketched of me and Sawyer when Sawyer was born.

"Momma drew that?" She asked me, her eyes glue to the portrait.

"Yeah she did, when you were born." I answered picking her up.

"She's coming back right?"

"No sweetie, you'll see her in heaven though."

"When do I get to go to Heaven?"

"When God says its time to stay with Him. Daddy is still here though."

"You promised." she stated simply.

"What?"

"You promised she wouldnt leave me. You promised she would be okay."

"Baby, I didn't know she was in that bad of shape, God wanted her. It's okay to be sad."

"I want Mommy!!" she ran into the corner and sat down, crying hysterically. My eyes began to tear and I sat down and began to cry with her.

We made our way to the hospital to see Lucas. He was 'still sleeping' as Sawyer put it. He had a broken arm, three fractured ribs, and a puntured lung. He was breathing on his own, just not conscience. Sawyer sat on the bed and cuddled with him.

"Hi Daddy, I miss you. You should wake up soon, Mommy's with God because he wanted her. And I want you back. But all her hurting and booboos are gone now. I don't want you to leave me too. Aunt Brooke misses Mommy too, she said that Mommy will see me when I go to see God. I want to go see him soon." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I love you Daddy."

My phone began to ring, I got up from the chair I was in and answered it in the doorway. It was Haley.

"Hey Hales, he's still out, his vitals are good but he's not responding to the medicine."

"I know the doctor called me this morning."

"Okay."

"How are you doing with Sawyer?" She asked.

"I'm trying to stay strong for her, she's four and lost her mother and on the brink of losing her father. That's not right." I answered.

The doctor came in and I hung up with Haley.

"Brooke?" He asked.

"Yeah. Hi Dr. Tarver."

"Hi, we just got off the phone with Lucas' cardiologist. We had no idea about is HCM, when he came in when gave him meds right away."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yes actually, Lucas' had a heart attack last night."

"What?!"

"His line went dead for just a second but he pulled through."

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"We think so, we stopped the drugs and put him on a different one."

"Will you call me if anything changes?"

"Of course." He smiled and left, I felt a tug on my pants. I looked down and Sawyer stood there.

"Aunt Brooke I have to go potty." She bounced up and down.

"Alright baby, let's go." I smiled as I took her hand, and for a split second I forgot about all the drama that was involved with that little girl.

REIVEWS?!

ps. go Kris on American Idol!!! (:


	3. Poptarts and Memories

Redemption

Chapter 3

"My name is Sawyer Brooke Scott and I have a purple monkey named Lucy."

I took Sawyer to the bathroom and then to get a soda from the vending machine in the hall. There was a rush of doctors and nurses down the hall, towards Lucas' room. I grabbed the little girl and scooped her up and ran towards the door. She was blocked by a nurse who stood at the door.

"I have to get in. That's her father." Brooke yelled

"Not right now, ma'am." The nurse shook her head as I walked to the opposite wall.

"What happened to Daddy?"

"I don't know honey." I answered her question.

I held her close as I tried to peek in the room. I couldn't make out anything. I heard the sound of a flat line and my heart beat quickened. 'Please no, not again, I can't lose him too.' I thought to myself. I heard the voices in the room.

"11:47 am. Pronounce it."

"NOO!!!!" I screamed.

"What happened to my Daddy?!?!" Sawyer yelled at the top of her lungs.

I got up and walked with her still in my arms down the hall to the bathroom. I sat her on the counter.

"God took my daddy! God took my mommy! I hate him!" Sawyer yelled as tears streamed down her cheeks. I wanted to tell her it was going to be okay, but it wasn't. She was four and within 24 hours had lost her mother and her father. I held her in my arms and shushed her until she was asleep on my shoulder. I took out my cell and called Haley, things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of seconds.

All I told her was that she needed to get down to the hospital with Nathan, but to leave Jamie with neighbors. She was down at the hospital in a matter of seconds. I needed her here with me and I couldn't handle losing Peyton and then Lucas within 24 hours of each other.

Haley rushed into the waiting room, I held a sleeping Sawyer in my arms and my cheeks were stained red with traces of mascara, supposedly water proof, obviously wasn't meant for crying for a straight two hours. I handed Sawyer off to Nathan while I held Haley's hand for comfort. I told her the news. She broke down just about the same way I did. To the ground and she fell fast.

She was hyperventilating and sobbing, which was all to be expected, her best friend of about twenty years had just died. The two had been friends since they were nine and we were all now about twenty eight. So just under twenty years. Which is a bit of a long time if you think about it?

I asked Nathan to take Sawyer somewhere to calm her down. I sat with Haley in the hallway as we both cried. It was hard losing two of your best friends in a matter of a day but I had to stay strong no matter what and I knew that I would get through it.

The day of the funeral arrived and it was an extremely solemn day. I awoke that morning and quietly took a shower, I blow dried and straightened my hair downstairs, sure not to wake the little girl, who was finally sleeping through the night, upstairs. I made breakfast, French toast and cinnamon rolls, Sawyer's favorite and I headed upstairs. I climbed into the bed with her and stroked her pin straight blonde hair. She stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

"Morning baby." I smiled as I kissed her forehead. "Breakfast is downstairs. It's your favorite."

"I'm not hungry." She replied simply. She turned over and pulled the covers over her head.

"You need to eat something. There's French toast or cinnamon rolls." I told her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, her hair was going eight different directions, and she looked just like her mother.

"I want a pop tart." She told me.

"Sawyer. A pop tart isn't a good breakfast."

"Please Aunt Brooke. I don't want anything else."

"Okay." I gave up. It was going to be a rough day as it was; I wasn't going to push anything. I finally got her out of bed and downstairs, I handed her a strawberry flavored pop tart and she ate it quietly. I put the other food away and looked at myself. I hadn't slept a full night in about two weeks; my eyes were dark and had not-so-attractive circles around them. I was still dressed in my bathrobe and Sawyer was in her dad's jersey. The only thing she would sleep in now.

"Let's go get dressed. Okay?" I told her. She silently nodded and got down from her barstool. We walked upstairs and I changed into a simple black dress, nude hose, and black wedges. Sawyer put on her black dress with white polka dots on it and her black strap on 'heels'. I brushed her hair tenderly and braided it into two French braid pigtails.

"You ready?" I asked as we walked down the stairs.

"Yeah." She nodded. We loaded up in my SUV and headed for the cemetery, which was only about a ten minute drive down the main road.

"Aunt Brooke!" She called as I exited the car.

"Yes Sweetie."

"I need to go back home. I forgot something." We were early anyways, so I started the car again and we headed back to the house, she ran inside and emerged with a plastic bag. I didn't ask what was in it because I knew she had a plan for it.

"Come on S, let's go." I told her as we arrived at the cemetery once again. I held her hand and in her other hand she held Lucy and her bag. We sat down in front of the caskets and listened to the preacher talk. I stood up and walked over to the front of the crowd that was there to show their condolences for Lucas and Peyton.

"Last time I spoke at one of these I was twelve. I met Peyton when we were eight. Her mom had just passed away and she was a wreck. I remember I would go over to her house every day after the funeral for her mom and listen to her tell me stories about the fun times they had. We stayed best friends since then. I met Lucas our sophomore year in high school. That seems like a whole other life." I started to tear up, but I kept speaking, "We dated for a few months. Then he moved onto Peyton. They were always meant for each other. The only times she was truly happy were when she was talking about him or with him. They got married and had this gorgeous baby girl. They both loved you so much Sawyer. So much. You were their world and they will always be watching over us, and especially you." I was a crying mess by the end of my eulogy. I walked back over to Sawyer who was tearing up as well. "They loved you so much, and so do I." I smiled and kissed her head. I pulled her onto my lap as the rest of the ceremony continued.

People began to disperse and Sawyer got up and walked over to the caskets, the faces of her parents could not be seen. She pulled over her bag and dug around, she pulled out a piece of paper. As she unfolded it I realized it was the sketch her mom had drawn of me and a baby Sawyer. She placed in on top of the casket and spoke.

"Make sure to watch over me and Aunt Brooke, okay Momma? We both miss you and love you. Aunt Brooke needs you right now. I love you." She started to cry but fought back the tears as she turned to her father's casket.

She pulled out his Raven's #3 jersey and kissed it. She placed it on top of the wood box. "Stay with me Daddy, I miss you already and I will always be here. Keep Momma happy up there with God, make sure she doesn't cry."

I was crying again at this point. I walked over to her and squatted down to her level.

"That was a very nice thing you just did for your mommy and daddy. They love you and they will always be watching over you." I picked her up and she cried into my shoulder. I had Mouth drive my car back to my house as I sat in the back seat and held the girl in my arms

We arrived back at my house. I took Sawyer upstairs to change; she changed into a pair of jeans and her Ravens t-shirt. I put on white capris and a yellow flowered top. Mouth sat downstairs and waited for us.

"Thanks Mouth, you've been a great friend through all this." I said as I hugged him.

"You're welcome Brooke, but are you sure you don't need anything."

"The only thing I need is something that I can't have back." I smiled sheepishly and that smile soon disappeared as the door bell rang.

"People are supposed to go to Haley's not here." I said as I opened the door. "Julian." I gasped as I hugged him. Sawyer came down and hid behind my leg, she had never met Julian before. "Sawyer, this is Julian. He worked with your dad on the Ravens movie." She nodded and waved a little bit.

"Baby. I'm so sorry I couldn't get out here sooner, I just got the news."

"Its okay, it's okay, you're here now." I kissed him passionately and sighed.

"What?"

"I missed you. It just sucks that you came back on terms like these."

"I know but I have something else for you." He moved out of the doorway and a young woman stood behind him.

"Sam." I smiled. She hugged me, that's all she needed to do. Her eyes were red from crying I could tell. She had been close with Peyton. She was now nineteen and in college.

We eventually made our way over to Haley's. Sawyer claimed she was tired, I took her upstairs to Haley's room for a nap. I lay with her until she fell asleep and I began to cry. I couldn't help it at this point. I was putting up a front to be strong for Sawyer and I couldn't anymore. I walked into the bathroom and slid down the wall, still crying. I huddled myself into a fetal position on a bathmat and just thought about the two of them.

"How could you leave me Peyt? I can't raise her without a mother, it was hard on you and you were older than four. You at least had your dad around, sometimes. She doesn't have you or Lucas. How could you leave me?! How?!" I yelled to no one. I was angry at her for leaving me, deep down I knew it obviously wasn't her fault but I couldn't help it. She was my best friend and she left me.

"Luke. You're little girl is going to grow up in the same world you did. A world with out a father. You left her Luke! You left her alone to deal with the same bull shit you did. Sure she won't be the bastard daughter; she'll just be a fatherless daughter. Who's going to beat the boys off of her and who's going to read to her or teach her how to ride a bike?! Whose going to do that!?"

The door opened, I didn't have the energy to look to see who was there. I didn't care at this point; I just wanted my best friends back. I felt a familiar body curl up next to mine. An arm encaptured my side and the body pulled me closer. Julian.

"It's going to be okay, Bee, I promise. I won't leave you. We're going to get through this." He whispered. And somehow at that moment, I believed him.


End file.
